Improvement in blocks and dies for forming hats



fitter REFERENCE it gem as @jiia LORENZ BOMMER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

Letters Patent No. 83,597, dated November 3, 1868.

IMPROVEMENT IN BLOCKS AND DIES I OR FORMING- HATS.

.To all whom it may concern vBlocks, Moulds, and Dies, of porous stone,or similar substances; and I do herebydeclare that the following 'is afull, clear, and exact description thereof. I Hat-blocks, moulds, anddies have been made, and

are now-made, of iron, plaster of Paiis, wire gauze, &c., on which hats,hat-bodies, boxes, and such like articles, are made, of buckram, andother woven fabrics, feltcloth, leather, paper-pulp, Ste.

The woven and such like material, when used, is generally wet ordampened, that it may the more readily be stretched to' the shaperequired, and hot metal dies have been used to strike up such articlesinto shape, but the greatdifiiculty has been to dry the articles afterbeing thus formed, and have them keep the proper shape.

In using the iron or plaster blocks, the dampness cannot pass 011'except through the material, and when the iron-blocks are heated, itpasses oif-as' steam, and takes, under any circumstances, a long whileto dry.

In forming hats of leather on plaster blocks, the dampness which cannotpass 01f, stains the leather, and renders the hats-worthless.

Hats and other articles have also been formed, and are now formed,ofpulp in pervious moulds, which permit the water to filter through, andwhich retain the fibres -until. accumulated to the required thickness.Such ,moulds have heretofore been made of wire gauze, but as the wirecannot bewoveu to the form required for such moulds, the gauze has to beunited in places, so that the seams leave marks on the articles mouldedtherein.

Another objection to the use of such moulds arises from the fact thatthe wire gauze, which must be made of very fine wire, is notsufliciently strong to resist the pressure to which they are subjectedin the operation of moulding hats and other articles, and for thatreason the wire-gauze -mould has to be sustained by an outer lining ofperforated metal, the perforations in which cannot be made so fine215912130 coirespond with the meshes of the wire gauze. v

-It is desirable, in'making hats, 850., from pulp, to allow the articlesthus formed todry in the moulds, but this method has not been pmctisedto advantage, because of the expense ofhaving on, hand so large a numberas would be required in manufacturing on a large scale, and, inconsequence, such moulds have been used simply to form the hats in,which, so soon as formed, are taken out to dry in the open air, or inthe drying-room, and are then pressed in other, moulds.

- an I The object f ention st-o produce blocks and moulds for the abovepurposes, which will avoid the defects above pointed out, and to thisend my said invention consists in making moulds and blocks for makinghats, 85d, of pulp aud other materials, by the process of filtration ofporous artificial stone or equivalent substances, by. which lam enabledto obtain asuitable moulding-surface, and at a cost so trifling,compared with those now used, that if desired, the maniuhcturer can haveon hand a sriflicient number of them to allow the hats, 8.10., to remainin them until thoroughly dry,a1 1d', if desired, they can be made ofsufl'icient strength -to admit of pressing the hats, otcj, therein orthereon.

To facilitate the filtering and drying, I can remove the dampness fromthe articles through the blocks by suction, which will render them dryalmost immediately.

By my invention the-blocks or dies are moulded into any required shape,and may be usedin connection with hotsdies, if necessary. The articlesthus formed may be on the outside or inside of the blocks, and in eithercase the dampness or steam passes on by filtration and evaporationthrough the moulds or blocks, and the material is left dry and in therequired shape, which cannot be'the case with those now in use, or whenthe articles are dried in the open air or drying-room.

The porous material which I have used with success for the making of myimproved moulds and blocks is that described in Letters Patent, grantedto F. 0. Kiause on the L7th day of Febiuary, 1863, for an improvedcompomld for porous stone, which compound is prepared by mixing fromfour to six pounds of sand and from three to six ounces of marble-dustwith one pound of silicate of soda or potash, a suflicient quantity ofwater being added to bring the compound to a plastic state, so that itcan be moulded to the required form, and then heated'in a kiln to a highwhite heat.

The compound above desclibed, I prefer for the making of my improvedblocks, moulds, and dies, but I do not wish to be understood as limitingmy claim of invention to the use thereof, as other and equivalentcompounds and materials may be substituted.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

Making porous hat-blocks, moulds, and dies, substantially as described,as distinguished from moulds made porous by perforations or wovenmeshes.

' LORENZ BOMMER,

Witnesses:

ANDREW DE Lsor, WM. H. BIsHoP.

